Orndorff on Working Hogan, Says Today’s Product Is “Phoney Baloney”

“Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff sat down with CJ Sabia on the debut episode of the Blue Steel Cage on the VOC Nation Radio Network. Check it out as “Mr. Wonderful” about his body and extensive training regimen in the 1980s, his shoot-style wrestling ability, recovery from neck injury, thoughts on Mr T, wrestling for WCW, and experiences turning on and wrestling Hulk Hogan.

Blue Steel Cage airs weekly, Friday nights at 9 PM ET on the VOC Nation Radio Network at vocnation.com, and simulcast on thebradyhicks.com. The show takes a look at professional wrestling from the viewpoint of an experienced former wrestling promoter, covering today’s wrestling news from both The WWE and the independent wrestling scene. Call into the show (855) VOC-RADIO.

Not beating Hogan for the WWF Title:
That’s what they should have done. And instead of making hundreds of millions of dollars they could have made thousands of millions of dollars if they had done that. We talked about it some and that’s what they should have done … I guess for some reason because [Hulk] was 6’5″ and weighed 320 pounds that he was this big huge thing that nobody should beat him for the belt. If they would have said “Let’s go out there, Paul, and you fight for your life and Terry, you go out there and you fight for your life,” you can bet your ass I would have fought. I guarantee … I would have won and [Hulk] knows it.

Today’s product:
It’s been so downgraded. You look at boxing, you look at MMA fighting, that’s what people are watching. It’s more believable. That’s what people want to see. They don’t want to see that phoney baloney out there. They want to see something real. They want to see somebody lose a tooth, have a black eye.

Working with Hulk Hogan:
It worked out because the heel ran the show. I ran the matches, and I worked off of [Hulk Hogan]. [Hogan did] his best to work off of me because [he'd] never be able to keep up with me. I did that with Hogan. That’s why we worked together good. We [were] two Florida boys. I wasn’t buddy-buddy with him. I didn’t weigh 300 pounds but I weighed 240 pounds and I was a badass and he wasn’t.

The art of being a great wrestler:
I still call it a sport, because it is a sport. To me it takes years and years and years and you’ll never master it. As long as you have an opponent, you have to work around that opponent. And you’ll never master it. Never. You can be good at it, you can be great at it like I was. Or you can be good at it and okay with it. Whatever.